Hypatia's association with "science" and "learning" led her to be labeled a "pagan," a dangerous thing at a time when paganism was seen by many as a kind of "religious rival" threatening to pull people away from Christianity. But Hypatia taught students of all backgrounds. People came from all over the world to hear her speak, and she held great respect from the male-dominated society. Historian Socrates Scholasticus wrote of her:.
Hypatia was a master networker - she had an "in" with many powerful figures in the ancient world, including the governor of Alexandria, Orestes.
This popularity likely spawned jealousy in archbishop Cyril, already in a foul mood due to a feud with Orestes over control of the city. Orestes was a Christian, but he didn't think the Christian Church should encroach on "civil government.
The argument led to Cyril's monks trying to assassinate Orestes, but they only succeeded at putting Orestes on high alert. But they didn't have to look far for an easier target - Hypatia regularly traveled around, giving public lectures proudly espousing "pagan" views.
She was also a target for other reasons: as a close acquaintance to Orestes, Hypatia likely advised him regarding the feud, and some of Cyril's followers saw her as getting in the way of conflict resolution, even accusing her of using witchcraft to sow divide. In or , a mob of Christian zealots attacked Hypatia's carriage on the streets of Alexandria, dragged her into a church, and violently killed her and burned her body. Hypatia's brutal death turned her life into a " martyr story " that has been used by scientists, pagans, and atheists throughout the ages as evidence of long-standing discrimination and the "evils" of the Christian Church.
But another version of her story to remember is that of a powerful woman considered a world leader in philosophy and mathematics at a time when most women were confined to domestic duties.
She discovered fundamental truths about stars and galaxies, and also shaped NASA into what we know it as today. September 9, August 5, August 3, Maggie Chen , Harvard University. June 1, According to a 6th century report by Damascius Deakin, Hypatia was born and educated in Alexandria. She went beyond the mathematics and astronomy of her father's expertise, learning philosophy.
She then taught philosophy, and presumably the prerequisite mathematics, to students who came from distant places. She was held in high esteem for her teaching, her virtue, and her civic-mindedness. There is no evidence that she traveled outside of Alexandria. Much of what is published about Hypatia's life is fiction written in the 19th and 20th centuries.
While this fictional account is highly romantic and may encourage student interest in Hypatia, there is no evidence supporting most of the tale. In her book, Osen used Hubbard as one of her primary sources on Hypatia. Unfortunately, this fictional account has been spread as truth in other publications that depend on Osen.
This example of mistaking fiction for fact and the spread of poor scholarship can be a great starting point for a discussion on the importance of using numerous reputable references, trying to get as close to original sources as possible, and the fact that books as well as web pages are not necessarily correct. Students will be interested in the idea that a fictional account in one book can propagate as truth, spreading to many sources.
There are no statues nor sketches of her that have survived, as far as we know. In fact, she may have resembled Egyptian women of the time instead of the woman represented as Hypatia in Figure 1. Before showing students this fictionalized sketch of Hypatia, you could ask them to imagine what Hypatia might have looked like.
The fact that this fictionalized picture has been stated to be a real picture of Hypatia would also be a good beginning of a discussion of racial issues. Figure 1. Fictionalized Sketch of Hypatia Hubbard, Hypatia's death in is authenticated by an ancient, nearly contemporary, account of the church historian Socrates Scholasticus Valesius, ; Deakin, , pp. Hypatia was an associate of Orestes, the Roman political leader of Alexandria and a rival of the Christian bishop Cyril for control of the city.
Although Orestes and some of her students were Christians, Hypatia never converted to that religion. A Christian mob was incited to lynch and kill her. The mob dragged her through the streets and scraped the flesh from her bones with oyster shells before burning her body.
Smith , pp. We have neither evidence of mathematical advances made by Hypatia, nor writings that are assuredly hers. Yet there is evidence of her commentaries on the work of others that have helped to make these older works clearer for students and to preserve them through the centuries. Let's look at the ancient evidence about Hypatia that is available, some conjectures that can be made about her mathematics, and ways to incorporate these into the classroom.
Theon describes this as "the edition having been prepared by the philosopher, my daughter Hypatia" Rome, , p. The other direct ancient report of Hypatia's mathematics comes from Hesychius in the 6th century: "She wrote a commentary on Diophantus, the Canon of Astronomy, and a commentary on the Conics of Apollonius" Deakin, Since this list does not include the commentary on Ptolemy, it is obviously not exhaustive.
Wilbur Knorr uses this fact and a close comparison between Hypatia's edition of the Ptolemy commentary and others by Theon to conjecture that Hypatia may well have edited and made commentaries on other ancient texts, including those of Archimedes Knorr, We also hear of Hypatia's teaching and philosophy from one of her students, Synesius of Cyrene.
His extant letters do not mention her mathematics, but he describes Hypatia as "the most holy revered philosopher" and addresses his letters to her "to the Philosopher" Fitzgerald, Students will be interested in the fact that detective work is needed to guess what Hypatia worked on and that historians are still debating and researching the possibilities today. They will also be interested in the role commentaries played in preserving ancient texts. These texts were written on fragile papyrus and would have disintegrated under the best of circumstances.
Centuries of unrest, wars, and lack of interest in scholarship provided a poor climate for preservation. Copies of copies of copies found their way to surviving centers of culture such as Constantinople and Baghdad. She was being called a 'martyr of philosophy'. The affair of her death made Hypatia a powerful feminist symbol. She became an inspiration for the intellectual endeavor she had in the face of the ignorance of prejudice.
Hypatia's contribution to mathematics and philosophy was enough to leave a great legacy behind and preserve her name. Still, sadly, the manner of her death added to it with even greater emphasis. Cuemath, a student-friendly mathematics and coding platform, conducts regular Online Live Classes for academics and skill-development, and their Mental Math App, on both iOS and Android , is a one-stop solution for kids to develop multiple skills. Understand the Cuemath Fee structure and sign up for a free trial.
Hypatia was the first known female mathematician and scholar. She is known as a symbol of feminism to date. The manner of her death marked the beginning of the end for Alexandria as a center of academics. She was 55 years old at the time of her death. The exact dates of her life are not exactly known, but she is assumed to be active during AD. Hypatia was accused of using witchcraft to get the Christian Roman governor under her control.
She was attacked on her way through the city by an angry Christian mob and killed brutally. Hypatia - Wikipedia. Hypatia of Alexandria. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. With Hypatia's work on this important book, she made the concepts easier to understand, thus making the work survive through many centuries. Hypatia was the first woman to have such a profound impact on the survival of early thought in mathematics.
Hypatia lived in Alexandria when Christianity started to dominate over the other religions. In the early 's, riots broke out frequently between the different religions. Cyril, a leader among the Christians, and Orestes, the civil governor, opposed each other. Hypatia was a friend of Orestes and it is believed that Cyril spread virulent rumors about her.
In AD, on Hypatia's way home, a mob attacked her, stripped her and killed her with pieces of broken pottery. Later, the mob dragged her through the streets. Hypatia's life ended tragically, however her life's work remained.
Later, Descartes, Newton, and Leibniz expanded on her work. Hypatia made extraordinary accomplishments for a woman in her time. Philosophers considered her a woman of great knowledge and an excellent teacher.
Hypatia ?
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